The story of a bullied daughter's rise to power

"Come... give Huang Ma a proper burial and give her relatives five hundred taels of silver." Madam Situ's tone was filled with fatigue as she spoke. Situ Yaorao watched this scene and suddenly felt a surge of regret. Perhaps she shouldn't have asked Madam Situ to come. The fact that Madam Situ allowed this Huang Ma to buy her rouge showed that she trusted her.

How cruel is it to let her watch someone she trusted like this?

Thinking of this, Situ Yaorao couldn't help but want to go over to comfort Madam Situ, but was stopped by Nangong Ling. Nangong Ling signaled her not to go over.

Situ Yaorao frowned, but when she saw Madam Situ's confused and sad face, she held back.

For Mrs. Situ, the Situ family was a lonely cage. As a member of the Gu family, she had to consider the Gu family, so she could not make her own choices.

She stayed in the Situ family, became the mistress of the family, and had a child. But... God would not see her happy. Her husband did not love her. Her daughter was disobedient. Everyone in the mansion respected her, but they also feared her.

It was during this time that Huang Ma stayed with her. She trusted Huang Ma deeply. This woman was honest and gentle. Even to this day... she had never felt any resentment towards her.

Even if he wanted her to leave, he just couldn't bear to kill her. But this person chose to atone for his sins in the way she least wanted to see. Madam Situ cried.

Tears fell on Huang Ma's body.

After a while, the servants who came to deal with Huang Ma's body came over. Madam Situ also wiped away her tears. In front of everyone, she became the feared Madam Situ again.

Situ Yaorao watched her do everything. Mrs. Situ was very organized and never made any mistakes. But Situ Yaorao didn't want her future to be like hers.

Because that is not happiness.

"I'll take you out today." Nangong Ling said to Situ Yaorao after Mrs. Situ left.

"Huh? Aren't we supposed to continue endorsing?" Situ Yaorao asked in confusion.

"No need to endorse, let's go." Nangong Ling said, and helped Situ Yaorao put on the veil. Situ Yaorao followed him stupidly, a little confused about what he meant.

However, even so, Situ Yaorao did not ask any more questions.

Nangong Ling brought Situ Yaorao with him, and the two of them came to a stream not far from the Nangong family mansion. It was quiet and deserted.

"Where is this?" Situ Yaorao asked in confusion.

"This is my mother's grave."

"Where is the tombstone?" Situ Yaorao asked curiously.

"There is no tombstone. In the Nangong family, women who make mistakes will not have tombstones. They will just be thrown out, and no one will be allowed to pick them up." When Nangong Ling said this, there was hatred in his eyes.

"There is no tombstone..." Situ Yaorao didn't know what to say.

"How is it? Very scary, right?" Nangong Ling looked at Situ Yaorao and said softly.

"It's not scary, but it's inhumane. But why are you telling me this?" Situ Yaorao looked at Nangong Ling and asked in confusion. Nangong Ling was stunned when he heard this, and then said: "I don't know. Maybe it's because seeing you, I feel like I saw myself back then. Or maybe it's because Madam Situ is so similar to her when she died, so I couldn't help but bring you here."

"But I'm not you, and my mother didn't die here either, so I'm different from you." Situ Yaorao said. Nangong Ling nodded after hearing this and said, "You're a teachable child. So do you know why my mother died?" Nangong Ling looked at Situ Yaorao and asked calmly.

Situ Yaorao waited in silence for him to continue. Nangong Ling gently dipped his hand into the water, as if recalling something, and then said, "No one in the Nangong family has freedom. But she is an exception. And because of this exception, Dad loves her very much. But this love has become the culprit that harmed her. Sometimes, doting is not true love, but the most cruel kind of murder."

"maybe."

"Over the years, I've learned only one thing, and that is not to trust anyone, because no matter who it is, they might want to harm you. Just like my mother back then. She's here because she wanted to kill me. In the Nangong family, no matter how women fight with each other, they are not allowed to harm their offspring. But she wanted to kill me. To this day, I still don't know why, but... whenever I think of this, and her usual gentle appearance, I can't help but hate her." The man said, looking at Situ Yaorao: "You are the eldest daughter of the Situ family. You have everything you have to bear. Don't be blinded by what is happening in front of you. Don't be tied down by emotions."

"Are you saying my mother will harm me too?" Situ Yaorao frowned. Regardless, this was the funniest joke she had ever heard.

"Before something happens, no one can say it is true, but no one can deny that it may be possible. Miss Situ, Yaorao, don't trust anyone. This is the only thing I want to tell you as your master. Soon I will not continue to teach you. I will not even see you again. So, I have to tell you these words no matter what." After Nangong Ling finished speaking, he gently touched Situ Yaorao's head.

Situ Yaorao stared blankly at the man. She didn't want to believe what he said, but she couldn't help but believe it. Because in essence, she was the same, not wanting to trust anyone, even if others gave her trust.

She didn't want to believe in Mrs. Situ's unconditional kindness, nor did she want to completely trust the advice given to her by the man in front of her. In her heart, everything had a bottom line.

She won't get hurt because this is the most important thing she has learned since she was a child.

This was also the first time she thanked those old guys.

"My face, is it actually related to you?" Situ Yaorao looked at the man and said lightly. The man paused when he heard it.

"No need to refute anything, because I am already convinced. You are not such a gentle person. The fact that you have to talk to me like this must mean that you have let me down. Moreover, you know very well about the poison on my face. But you want to watch me investigate, just because you don't want to directly pull that person out, right? Although Situ Honglei has no good intentions, she can't do such a thing as ruining my face. Even if it really has something to do with her, it must be someone who framed her. Then, this person... don't think about it anymore. There is only one person who has a grudge against me recently. What's more, this person makes you feel guilty about me. Therefore, the person who tampered with my rouge was Princess Lianqiao. Right?" Situ Yaorao looked at Nangong Ling and asked lightly.

Perhaps, this is no longer a question, but a statement of a fact.

Nangong Ling smiled bitterly upon hearing this: "Sure enough, I can't hide it from you. It's true, but I hope you can forgive her. She's just afraid that there's something going on between you and me."

"Then what about my face? She delayed my daughter's exam. How can I forgive her?" Situ Yaorao looked at the man sarcastically.

"It's okay. I'll heal you." Nangong Ling promised.

"This medicine is colorless and tasteless, and I don't even know what it is. How are you going to cure me?" Situ Yaorao frowned.

"Exquisite beauty. This is a common method used in the palace. I have seen it before, so there is a way to cure it. It just takes some effort. And this is why I brought you out."